Re: RAT Charging the Bulls in a Bear Market

["frances@International-Behind-the-barcode.org" <frances@international-behind-the-barcode.org>]

Go Alfred
Peggy in Atlanta
----- Original Message -----
From: Alfred Vitale <alfredvitale@yahoo.com>
To: <rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: RAT Charging the Bulls in a Bear Market


> RATS:
>
> this has been an interesting read. i wanted to relate
> an experience in a similar vein:
>
> Wooden Shoe Book & Record Shop...an anarchist,
> all-volunteer collective bookshop...has been in philly
> since 1976 (a staggering feat in the USA). it was
> housed in a tiny basement space that was often missed
> when you passed it's downstairs entrance in the
> street. it survived because it had virtually no
> overhead, it had low rent, and needed, literally, to
> earn about $50 per day to succeed.
>
> a somewhat "suspicious" fire gutted the store (and
> much of its contents) early on ash wednesday morning,
> 1997. we had to find a new location. after much
> searching, we found an ideal sized location, with
> lower rent than most storefronts (though it was twice
> what we used to pay)...right off south street (it's at
> 508 S. 5th in case anyone's interested).
>
> we were in a quandary though...it would cost
> considerably more to keep the store afloat, our rent
> would increase each year (unlike the old place), and
> we'd have to do lots of things that sacrificed some of
> the "D.I.Y"-ness of the store. the only way we could
> (and do) succeed would be to stay open later (the old
> store opened from 12-6 every day), have a much larger
> inventory, and do work to actually GET customers to
> come inside. our overhead was much higher now.
>
> well, i think that despite the grumblings...a fair and
> intelligent compromise occurred: we still kept the
> "info shop" happening, it's also a wobbly shop, we
> still act as a clearing house for radical actions,
> causes and events, we still have room for flyers and
> posters and free literature...but we also are sure to
> stock things that will sell to the south street crowd.
> now, tower books around the corner has closed down,
> and the shoe may stand to become even more successful.
> the goal was (and i hope still is) to buy a space
> outright after enough money was made (nobody earns any
> money from the shoe). the store still manages to keep
> its original vision and purpose, but it's adapted to
> encompass a broader audience.
>
> i bring this up because i am reminded of the book
> "bolo'bolo" by P.M. (published by Autonomedia)...he
> suggests that revolutionary/radical activities survive
> best when they incorporate a multi-class approach
> ("the A-B-C deal workers"). and i agree. too often,
> movements isolate and alienate one class faction
> because the assumption is that all "x" are the same
> and antithetical to our movement. granted, i am a
> child of extreme poverty and i've always been poor
> (housing project & welfare family poor)...but i don't
> want to alienate interested folks with $ to spare. i
> believe in the subversion of the "regular" folks...too
> often we preach to the converted and become
> self-contained, marginalized movements that are
> unapproachable by 'regular' folks...i believe that
> there is room in revolution for "normal" people, who
> go to mundane jobs each day and try to survive...it's
> all in the presentation and the way you open your
> arms.
>
> alfred
>
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>
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